Workers in the art of packaging fragile articles, such as glass refrigerator doors (e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,821 to Stromquist) and the like for shipping and associated handling recognize a number of problems and inadequacies in the present state of the art. For instance, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,124 to Lidgard, shipping containers for such plate glass articles typically involve a six-sided crate (parallelepiped) of wood or similar material, with the plates stacked within, separated from the crate and from one another by a multiplicity of resilient spacer-cushions to provide some resistance to the shock and vibration of handling. However, such approaches have left something to be desired and workers are still in need of containers which are smaller, lighter, less expensive and less subject to breakage (as, indeed, is emphasized in Column 1 of the cited patent to Lidgard). The present invention is directed to such a container and associated methods.
Of course, workers are familar with certain methods and materials for packing articles for shipment. For instance, wrapping strips have been used to bind sets of doors together protectively (to be then inserted into a crate, or like outer structure) and corrugated padding has been used protectively around glass sheets. Also, fragile items, like glass sheets, have, of course, been packed for mounting on a pallet for easy handling; also straps or like binders have been used before for tying a shipping package together, such as onto a pallet (e.g., note U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,095,970; 3,231,084, 3,618,755; 3,273,706; 3,709,358; 3,645,389 and 3,547,457).
Presently, glass refrigerator doors stand in need of better packaging for shipment. For instance, such doors of the type adapted for refrigerated cabinets in retail food markets will typically weigh about sixty to seventy pounds, being about 6 feet or more in length by about 2 feet wide. They are typically shipped in rough wooden crates comprised of boards nailed (or glued) together, with about 4 to 5 or more doors packed therein, surrounded by resilient packing such as soft foam strips. The package formed by the doors so crated is rather fragile and subject to considerable glass breakage, as well as being relatively heavy and cumbersome. The excessive weight and bulk of such crates results in excessive shipping costs. The increasing cost of packaging materials and scarcity of wood presents further problems. Fabrication of the numerous parts of such packing containers requires excessive time and labor. Unpacking is also cumbersome and time-consuming. There is also a problem in disposing of the considerable packing debris.
Such crates are usually too bulky and difficult for one man to handle. For instance, a bulky crate containing four to five doors of the type mentioned, may weigh on the order of 400 to 500 pounds and stand over six feet tall. Now, if the crate topples flat from an upright position (as is all too likely), it obviously creates a risk of personal injury to handlers. It is also likely to break at least some of the glass contents. Such a toppling can readily occur while a crate is being loaded (e.g., with a fork lift) onto a truck or rail carrier, or unloaded from, of manipulated on, the carrier (e.g., for "tie-down"). Other damage commonly results from dropping a crate from a loading dock or from a pile in a warehouse storage facility. This invention dispenses with such crates and, being lighter and less bulky, is less likely to be dropped; also, being stronger, it is more likely to survive a drop with the glass intact.
Wooden crates cannot, of course, be handled manually without great difficulty. Not only are they heavy and bulky, but they easily splinter. Further, they often rupture when handled by fork lift equipment, as when they are dropped too rapidly.
Now, with such wooden crating materials consituting on the order of 100 to 125 pounds per crate (including packing), it will be apparent that saving any substantial portion of this mass can significantly reduce the cost of fabrication, package bulk and weight, shipping and disassembly costs. Such a weight reduction will also facilitate manual handling.
The present invention is directed to reducing the mass and bulk of such wooden containers with the above indicated savings and advantages. For instance, in the embodiment described below, it has been found possible to save on the order of 80% of the weight of packing materials. This may amount to 25% of the entire package weight. The present invention results in less breakage and superior handling strength. The preferred structures are simpler and less expensive, they involve fewer parts and less labor for fabrication and disassembly. The structures may encorporate more reliable, lightweight materials, such as plastics, thin strip steel and corrugated cardboard strips, in place of heavy wood structures and bulky foam padding.
The techniques of the invention also lend themselves to automatic, or semi-automatic, container production, involving less expense and lower breakage factors. Advantages in unpacking are also present. For instance, a mere slitting of a plastic envelope and a snipping of metal tape is required as compared to knocking-down a bulky crate with a crowbar, etc., and possibly damaging the glass contents in the process.
Another, less obvious, disadvantage with crated containers of the type mentioned involves "concealed breakage", i.e., glass breakage inside the crate that goes undetected until unpacking takes places. As workers well know, when glass items, such as doors, are shipped and handled, there is always a risk of breakage. All too often such breakage goes unobserved and/or unreported until well after receipt from the shippers.
For instance, glass refrigerator doors of the type mentioned, may be warehoused for a number of months until needed -- this often in the final stages of constructing a store. The door containers are then withdrawn and unpacked, often at the work site. Workers will recognize the inconvenience that results when such doors are unpacked broken. When the crate is opened, it may become apparent, for the first time, that one or all of the doors has "cracked" glass. This may cause delays and inconvenience (re-ordering, shipping, etc.) -- at a time when delay can least be afforded. In short, when a customer stockpiles crated glass articles, it is to his advantage to discover handling damage at an early stage. Present crating methods do not lend themselves to such early discovery. Structures in accordance with the present invention allow for immediate inspection and discovery of handling damage.
There is a further, and somewhat insidious, disadvantage associated with "concealed breakage"; it involves collecting compensation from a freight carrier or warehouseman. In general, it is considerably more difficult to collect for "in-crate" breakage when it is discovered after the fact, since then, the responsible carrier or warehouseman frequently takes the position that the breakage may have occurred "upstream" of his handling. This raises questions of "what happended, when and who caused it"; and complicates insurance claims. These problems are compounded by government (ICC) regulations and by the customs of the trade which limit collection in instances of "concealed breakage".
The present invention does away with such "concealed breakage" problems by, in effect, tearing-open the opaque covering about such containers and opening-up the frangible contents to full view. Thus, any breakage should be evident as soon as it occurs, and concealed breakage is avoided. Moreover, the invention has the further advantage of imposing a subtle, yet genuine and surprising, psychological restraint on those handling a container. The "look of glass" instills an unusually high degree of care. That is, it is found that those who normally ignore labels such as "Fragile", "Glass", "Handle with Care" are nonetheless rather sensitive to "visible glass". The appearance of breakable glass panels inspires caution. Experience has been that using "transparent" shipping containers in accordance with the present invention results in an astonishing drop in shipping and handling breakage.